Nn City Attorney Requests 38% Budget Increase

May 02, 1989|By MARK DAVIDSON Staff Writer

NEWPORT NEWS — City Attorney Verbena M. Askew has asked for a 38 percent increase in her budget to pay for a new lawyer, two new secretaries, new office equipment and raises for the department's seven attorneys.

She also developed two alternative, smaller budgets after meeting with members of the City Council. But all three requests exceed City Manager Edgar E. Maroney's recommendation of a 5 percent increase for Askew's office for the next fiscal year.

The dispute is up to the council to resolve before it adopts the annual budget in May. So far, council members have been unable to agree on how much money to invest in the city attorney's office in a year marked by shrinking revenues and a pending tax rate increase.

Some council members say Askew was simply responding to the council's suggestions for meeting the growing demands on the legal department.

"I think her budget reflects some of the concerns that council members have," Vice Mayor Joe S. Frank said. "Can we, having looked at her response to our suggestions, afford all of those things? That is something we just haven't resolved yet."

Councilman Barry DuVal said he has resolved the issue in his own mind and cannot support Askew's request. "The entire budget for Newport News is one of constraint. We are trying to have a maintenance budget for each department. The budget she has put forward is far in excess of a maintenance budget."

Councilman William E. Fitzgerald said the council must weigh the amount the city spends on the city attorney's office with the amount it pays for outside law firms to defend the city in big cases.

Askew's original request for $983,000 is 38 percent more than her current budget of $714,000. The request included two new legal secretaries and an additional attorney who would serve as a liaison between the city and the General Assembly on legal matters.

The budget also calls for salary increases for the attorneys as high as 13 percent. The proposal does not include a raise for Askew; that's up to the council.

After meeting individually with council members, Askew presented an alternative budget of $883,000, up 23 percent, that excluded the new attorney and other incidental expenses. That alternative does include about $40,000 for new computers, to be used by secretaries and assistants, that are compatible with computers used by the attorneys.

Askew said she will present a third alternative to the council today of $837,000, reflecting an 18 percent increase, that drops her request for the computers.

"That is the absolute bottom. I can't squeeze much more than that," Askew said.

Maroney, who recommends what each department's budget should be, said $747,000 is all the city can afford.

He said that is equivalent to increases that most departments are getting.

But Askew views her department differently.

She noted that the city attorney and city clerk are the only department heads that report directly to the council and not to Maroney.

Askew said that gives her more leverage to negotiate her budget with the council rather than go through Maroney.

"He recommends a bottom-line budget. For him to get involved in the process beyond that, I feel, is improper," Askew said.

But Maroney said that decision will affect the city budget just like any other department's request.

"My budget presented to the City Council is a balanced budget. If she is asking for that much money, then I will have to go back and find that money or I will have to make recommendations as to what should be cut."